Our View: Larry Morrissey is our pick for Rockford mayor

Saturday

Larry Morrissey is clearly a better option for Rockford mayor than his two opponents, who are only slightly better than the competition he faced four years ago when he won 63 percent of the vote.

Larry Morrissey is clearly a better option for Rockford mayor than his two opponents, who are only slightly better than the competition he faced four years ago when he won 63 percent of the vote.

When the economy tanked, Rockford, with its strong manufacturing base, was especially hard hit. Double-digit unemployment has plagued the city since the recession began.

That has increased the degree of difficulty in an already difficult job. After he was re-elected in 2009, the Rockford Register Star Editorial Board listed 10 things for the mayor to accomplish. The status of each of these items has been the subject of editorials of their own, but today we touch on the highlights and our assessment of these goals.

1. Fix the roads: Voters extended the 1-cent sales tax to fix roads, bridges and other infrastructure two years ago by an overwhelming margin. Residents still complain about the quality of streets, but they need to remember that Rockford has about 800 miles of roads, hundreds more in alleys, and nine major bridges over the Rock River that never got the attention they needed under the old system because there wasn’t enough money. It takes time to make fixes. Also, the city has been able to leverage the sales-tax revenue to get about $100 million in federal and state money for projects such as the riverwalk and the Morgan Street Bridge. A lot of good work has been done and is scheduled to get done.

2. Balance the budget: Some painful decisions have been made, but the city pays its bills on time and its finances are sound. Involving aldermen, and involving them early, has helped the process.

3. Heal the rift: The relationship between the mayor and unions, especially the police union, remains strained. There seems to be no way to heal the rift with this administration.

4. Get more jobs: The numbers are ugly: double-digit unemployment for more than four years. However, it’s not for lack of effort on the mayor’s part. There are plans galore, many of them encouraging small entrepreneurs. Plans are good; results are better and we hope to see those results in the next four years.

5. Keep lowering crime: Here the numbers look good, but they may be deceiving. Burglaries dropped 26 percent between 2006 and 2012. However, there are fewer police officers on the streets to arrest the bad guys. It must be a priority to get the police department up to full staff. We think geographic policing is the right approach and hope to see it implemented soon.

6. Downtown: The pedestrian mall is gone. Tapco has been torn down. New restaurants have opened and the City Market and Friday Night Flix have been successful. There’s a long way to go, of course, but there’s a reason for folks to come to the heart of the city again.

7. Education: It can’t be overstated how important it is to improve educational opportunities in the city. The mayor is part of Alignment Rockford’s efforts to support District 205 and we think the School District is on the right track. We’ve been intrigued by the “city university” concept, which would increase access for college degree programs. If the mayor launches the City University of Rockford Network this year as planned, the city’s prospect for educational attainment and economic opportunity will grow.

8. Open things up: There has been no shortage of public meetings. Monthly RockStat sessions allow the public to see what’s going on. The mayor maintains a core group of loyal advisers, but has been more receptive to advice from people outside that group.

9. Keep learning: The learning curve is over. After eight years in office, Morrissey knows how government does and does not operate. He knows the players he needs to develop relationships with, although he has not always been successful in building those relationships.

10. Maintain your vision: Vision is what sets Morrissey apart from his competition. He sees where Rockford could be and how it can get there. He does not let minor issues blur that vision.

Being mayor of Rockford is about more than street lights and sound bites about being tough on crime. Morrissey has a firm grasp of and astute action plans for issues such as education, crime, economic development, entertainment and more.

We think he deserves the opportunity to work four more years for the residents of Rockford

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.